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Missing in action: two passports
It all seemed so easy… just apply for a visa for Mozambique. You can not apply for this visa at the border for a year now, but you must first request a visa at the consulate. We could have done this at the Mozambican consulate in South Africa, but that means that we have to stay in one place for one week and in addition we wouldn’t have our passports temporarily. Neh, too much hassle, as long as we can arrange this kind of business in advance, we’ll do. We checked a few months ago on the embassy website how it all works and also checked the prices, 50 euros per person for a multiple entry visa. A lot of money, but we have included this in our budget, so it has to be. The visa is valid for three…
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Less is more
The freedom of traveling light is endless, your shoulders and back feel the difference immediately and your mood will be better by the step. The choice for a larger backpack will quickly tempt you to bring even more stuff, while you’ll always regret this once you’re on the road. You can of course choose to leave half of your wardrobe with that poor family in that cute village, but it all starts with your wardrobe. CHOOSE. Be strict, think multifunctional and lightweight. Make a stack of must-bring and a stack that may also be allowed if you have space left. Yes, all nicely put, but how do you choose? Your closet is full of beautiful clothes that you all want to take with you. It depends, of course, greatly on which countries you visit and the purpose of your trip,…
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Rescheduled flight hustle
We booked a flight with Qatar Airways from Amsterdam to Capetown with a layover of four hours in Doha. Nice price, very ok airline, not too much time in between. We are happy. Then suddenly we got a disturbing e-mail from the airline: your flight has changed. This is never good news. Our first flight to Doha has been pushed back for a couple of hours for some vague reason, so now we have a layover of minus 3 hours. Perhaps we are missing something here in terms of local time? We call Qatar Airways, a friendly gentleman with a Middle Eastern accent explains our options but we cannot understand a word he’s saying. Finally we can make something out of his blabla… we have two options, we can move our second flight, which goes from Doha to Cape Town,…
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Live or let die
After having arranged everything for our absence, we still have one unresolved issue: my botanical garden… That my plants are dear to me is an understatement. Over the years I have brought seeds from every corner of the world and grown them into supergreen rainforest-worthy trees, presumably envied by their jungle colleagues. In my assortment: a mango, black pepper, coffee, guanabana, date palm, lemon, cork, rice grass, cashewnut and a pineapple. Oh right, ánd a fantastic orchid! I can easily say, my pride and joy. You understand, the new foster mother/father for these dear children of mine has to come with excellent skills to qualify for this demanding task. While I carefully go through my network of friends and family in my thoughts, there is actually only one real winner. One person that I know will care for my babies…
